Cooling circuit for a liquid-moderator nuclear reactor



Sept. 14, 1965 cosTES cOOLING cRcUT POR A L UDM0DRAT0R NUGLEAR BBAcTOR Fi1ed June 13. 1961 2 SheetsSheet 2 IJnited States Patent 3,206,3o8 CooLIIG CC[T oR A LIoUID-MoDERAToR NUCLE REACToR 1)idfef coSfes, aTfS 1 ance, asSignoT fo Commsadf o 1,Enorgie 1foIni o, 1 oTis, Eoce EHed June 13, 1961, SeT. fo. 11o,739 (:13iInS priofify, appHcofioH 1 rance, Iune 17, 1060, 830,271; May 23, 1961, 8o2,505 11 cfaims. (CL 17637) fhe feactofs using carbonic gas under preSSUfe as the heat-cafrying f1I1id and heavy-Water aS the Inoderator, the coofing of the n1oderator iS generany canied ont by Ineans of a hea texchangef con]priSing a heaVyvvater ci1cIlit and a light-Watef oifcI1it. T he heavy-Water iS taken froIn the tank; it iS retuTned to the latter afte paSSing thTough the heavyv/atef1ight-Wafer heat exchanger.

The cooling ciTouits of the Tnoderator 1iquid con1priS ing heat eXchangefs aTe Telatively bulky; they 11eceSSitate the use of ciTcUlation pumpS fof the modeTatoT liquid, and appropTiate valves, T11iS liqui(1iS often voTy valuable so that nuneTouS precaUtionS nlust be taken to avoid any pollution Which n1ight callse theln to loSe the neu tTonic pTopefties USed. An1ong these precaUtionS Should be Inentioned the cTeation of an atnlosphefe of heliun1 at a preSSure s1ightly higher than the atInoSpheTic pfessure above the tank containing the T1odeTafof.

The preSent invention haS fo1 ifs pTincipal object to SiInplify the conStrucfion of the cooling ciTctlit of the modefato1 liqoid.

To thiS end the invention provideS a cooling cifcLIft fof a 1iquidInodefatof nuoleaf TeactoT, of the type comprising an independent heatcafrying fi11id cifcuit enSUTing by the paSSage of Said uid fhrough the pTesSure-tUbeS containing the HSSile InateTial and aTfanged in a InodeTatof liquid, the Ten1oval ffoIn the feactof of the greator paft of the heat pToduced by the phenoTnenon of fSSiOn, Said cooling circuit coTnprising a condenSer, at least one channel connecting fhe upper paft of the nodefatof tank to the said condenseT in ordef to admit into the lattel the vapour produced by the boiling of the n1odeTatof liquid, and a Second channel connecting the condensef to the n1odeTatof fank in oTder fo Send the condenSate obtained in the condenSeT back into the said tank by gravity.

Apart from this pfincipal arTangen1ent, the cooling ciTc[1it accoTding to the invention coInpriseS a ceftain number of SeoondaTy aTTangements which WiH heTeinafter bo explained,

In ordeT thaf the invention Tnay be Inore clearly under stood, TefefenCe Win nov be nlade to the accoInpanying drawingS Which show embodiments theTeof by Way of eX aInple only, and in vvhich:

FIGURE 1 shows a dia Tam of a first on1bodiInent of the cooling oircuit,

FIGURE 2 Shows a dia ram of a se arate heav -Water ecovefy device USable in a cifcI1it accofding to the in vention, and

F'IGURE 3 shows a dia ram of a second en1bodiment of the cooling ciTcU according to the inventioI1.

In the exanlples choson fo deScfibe the invention, the feactof unde1 consideration is a TeactoT vhich iS gas cooled by Ineans of a cUTfent of carbonic anhydde Hnder pTesSuTe, Accofding to tlle eInbodin1ent Shown in F1G URE; 1 the nuclear fnel iS placed in pafallel heatinSu1at ing pTeSSuTe tubes in a tank 1 containing a fnoderator liquid 2, vhich Tnay be heavy-vvatef, fof exaInple. At 3 are shown Such pTeSSure tubeS Which afe aSSumed to be perpendiculaT to the plane of the gure. T11e ends of the preSSure tubeS opeI1into collectofS Z7- The circuit of the heatcarTying ffIIid in connection vVith fhe coHectors 27 iS of a co11ventional type eSSentially con1pfiSing a heat ex changef 28 and a bloVver 29. By neanS of this cifcuit the greater part of the heat produced by the phenonenon of fisSion iS evacuated to the olItSide of the tank 1. Another poftion of thiS heat is feleaSed into the n1odefa tol by TeaSon of the heat conduction of the tnbes and the diffefent nuclear TadiationS. In an econoInical ar- TangeInenf fof a Teactor of the type in qUeStion, about 7% of the theTInal power muSt be releaSed from the modera tor, FoT a high povver Teactol it is neceSSaTy to pTovide a cooling circuit foI the InodeTator liquid.

AccoTding to the invention, the circUit iI1 FIGURE 1 con1prfSes, in gaSeous coTnnlunication via a pipe 4 With the U per portion of the tank 1, a condenSer 5 the exchang ing Surfaces of vvhich aTe cooled fof exanlple by Ineans of a cuffent of IightWate1 vVithout theTe being any pos sibility of n1ixing with the cooled 11uid The liquid recov ered by the condenSe1 s is collected by a pipe 6 con1IIlunicating With the tank 1.

The heavy-Wate1 having been Taised to itS boiHng tem peTatnfe by the operation of the Teactor, the heavy vvateT vaponT Which colIects at the upper poTtion of the tank is dfavvn tovvardS the condenSeT in Which theTe pfe vailS a peSSUTe vvhich is slighfly lovver by TeaSon of the action of cooling. The oondenSed heavy-Water Teturns to the tank by gTavity thus esfablishing a continuoUS I1at11fal ciTcu1ation.

The heat fen1oved froIn the nlaSS of the Inoderatof con tained in the tank by TeaSon of the foTnlation of vapour iS thus tfansfeffed fo the cooling vvate1 of the condenSef.

T11e vapoUT can take With it gaSeS coIning fTon1 any openings and froIn the decomposition of the heavy-Water under the action of the ovv of neUtTons.

The gases can be pumped at 7, a point at Which the va11S of fhe condenSeT aTe coldest, and they Inay be Te n1oved by Several n1ethods- In the application of a known proCesS fo1the feconStitntion of decon1posed heavyvvater, vvhich can be USed in TeactofS in vvhich the heavy-v ateT iS sufInoUnted by an atInospheTe of an ineft gaS Such aS he liuI11, a certain pfopoftion of this atIIospheTe iS Sent into the fonowing s11cceSSion of apPaTatus= a cold-vvalled coo1 ef, a Stfealning daInp sepafatOT, a Teheater, a catalytic contact IIlaSS, anothef cooleT and Separator, a cifcu1ation pun1p and then a TetuTn to the atInoSpheTe of the Teactor. For a reactof vvithout any ineft gaseS in the geneTal ciT- cuit of the Inodefatof it Inay be neceSSafy, in oTdeT fo ob tain the Inost favourable opefation of the catalytic ITlaSS, fo dilute the gases to be TecoInbined, in an ineft gas. The socceSSion of appafatus defined above is then used but the quantity of gaS vvhich con1es thereffoIn iS Sent eitheT be tveen the fifSt cooleT and the contact n1aSS of above this coolef but belov the conduit vvhich coIT1es ffom the genefal circuit and SupplieS the appaTatuS With uid to be tTeated. vvhile the condenSed Watef is Tedistfibuted by siphons, the ineft gaS doeS not g() into the tank- The gaSes vvhich cannot be fecon1bined and vvhich are thI1S Ten1oved ffoIn the general ciTcI1it aTe added to thiS ineft gas, the compoSition and the pressure of Which mUSt be SupeT- viSed, pafticularly vhen the Teactof is StaTted after filling the vacna in the genefal ciTcI1it of the nodefatoT With gaS. Finally oxygen Inay be incofpoTated in thiS caSe in oTdef to facilitate the fecoveTy of the deutefiun1.

In FIGURE 2 the device which can be uSed in a coo1 ing cifcuit according to the invention haS been diagraInn1atically Tepfesented, II1 thiS ngufe, 8 represents the aT Tiva1 conduit fof the heavy-vvatef vapouf, and TepfeSentS the fifst cooler and separatof. The affival point of the Tecirculated ineTt gas iS at 10, the Teheatef iS indicated at 11, the contact InaSS at 1Z, the Second coolef at 13, and the ventilator vvhich TeciTculates the ineft gaS at 14. Fi nally, indicates the pipeS fof the control sySteIn of the gases, not shovvn in detaiL one StaTting above and the ()thef below the ventilator.

A contact dehydTator 10 n1ay also be pfovided to eliIninate the heavyvateT ffoIn the eXhausted gases.

An auXiliaTy cifcL1it, not shown, continuaHy treats the heavyvvatef of the tank in oTdel to Inaintain itS puTity vvith Tegafd to dSsolved Salts. So that any leaks fTon1 the geneTal Cifctlit n1ay be reduced and to pfevent the lattef fToIn causing pollution, the quantity and the teInperatufe of the TeffigeTant uid of the condensef Inay be Tegulated so that the pfesSure of the heavy-wateT vapouT Within the Teactof Slightly eXceedS atInoSphefic pfeSSuTe.

vVhen the feactoT iS Stopped and vhen the TeSidua1 neu tTonic povvef is not enough to coInpenSate foT the loSSeS of heat to the extefioT, in Spite of the Stop ing of the fe fTigeTant f lllid, the pfessofo of the geneTal ciTcuit of heavyvvater vvould tend to decTease belovV atInospheric pTeSSUre. In ordeT to Inaintain it, boiling is caused to take place in a SInall volume of heavyvVatef, fof exalnple, in FI(IJRE 1, in a bulge 17 in the conectof pipe o, below the hydfoStatic level, by meanS of an electfical TeSiStance of a heating coil 18 having a vaTiable poweT. The vapouf thuS Sent into the cifcuit condenSeS on the coldest suffaceS While maintaining the pfeSSufe.

IIoveveT, pTesSufising Inay accidentany occuf in the enclosllfe fof the heavy-vvatef due f()T eXample to bad fegulation of the cooling of to the explosion of a pTes SuTe tube. A vio1ent cuffent of caTbonic gaS, heavyvvate1 and heavyvvater vapoUf n1ay escape.

The encloSuTe iS pTotected by a nap valve 10 vvhich iS normally closed. ThiS Hap valve openS on to a chanlber vvith an ineft atInoSpheTe, the chan1ber 20, vV11ich for ex aInple coInpTiSeS a centTifuge device caned a cyclone Sepafafing the heavy-vvatef froIn the gaSes. The chaInbef 20 itSelf openS via a Hap valve 21 vvhich is normally cloSed eithef into a ue ZZ of into a gaS holdef, Which is not Shown.

Since the Inaintenance of the preSSufe of the heavy WateT by heating cannot be caTfied out, the source 23 pfo viding the ineft atIT1oSphefe Inay naHy by o eTation of a f1ap valve 24 Supply the heavy-vvater enclosllTe in ofder to avoid any Significant dTop in preSSufe, Aftef Such an accident When tl1e teI11peTatufe of the Teactor TiseS, the ineft gaS is pfogreSSively fen1oved by IneanS of the ex tTactof device Shown in FIGURE Z.

It Wi11 be noted that, if Sto S aTe not very frequenf, thiS pToceSS can be Su0icient vithoot having to pTovide the heating coil 18. In thiS caSe the coHecfor pipe 0 nlay even be eliIninated and the heavyvvater Inay be caoSed to 4 Teturn into the tank by trickling into the laTge entTy con doit 4, thuS effecting a conSideTable Sin1plification in the conStfuction.

In the f1TSt eInbodiment Shown in FIGURE 1 the cooling ligflt- /atef iS diTected at the outpllt of the condenSer s into a tank 25 Which iS in good theTInal contact vith the tank 1; thefe it actuaHy SeTves aS a neutTonic fe0ectof and enSufes paTt of the cooling and pfotectS the Str11ct[1fes SuTfounding the TeactoT vvhile acquiring a toII1peTatL1re very Slightly 1ower than that of the InoderatoT. Since the heavywateT of the tank is for eXample at the surface at a pTeSSure veTy Slightly higher than atTnoSphefic preSSuTe and Since it boilS at 10Z the light Cooling vatef would paSS fof eXafnple ffon1 30 to C. in the condenSeT and ffom 80 to 8S C. in the tank. ThuS, theTe iS obtained a quantity of hot vvateI Which can )e uSed fo1 exaInple in a stean1 engine heated by the Teactof. In fact if a faSt enough cycle iS in1agined in which the tTanSfeffed heat iS 750 U.S. thern1S peT n1etfic ton of vapour and pef cycle the pTeheating ffom 30 to 8S C. absofbS S5 US, thefInS of 7.3% of the total thermal owef Which is very coIn paTable to the peTcentage of 7% Which iS the fifSt appfox in1ate valL1e given fof the heat Tecovefy by the cooling ciTcuit of the nlodefatof and this callSes the preheating by thiS cifcllit to be enSured. In the caSe of a Teactof in vhich the nlodeTatof is sfII1ounted by an auxiliaTy at InoS heTe it is not neceSSafy, fof queStions of Tegulation, that the artial pTeSSufe of the vapour be conSideTable in relation to the partial pfeSSUTe of ineTt gaSeS and this n1akes it pTactically impoSSible fof the Inodefatof to ex ceed 70 to 80 if the t()tal pressuTe is equal fo atInospheric pTeSSure, S0 to 60 (Z. iS obtained foI the 1ight vvater leaving the cooling exchanger. The uSe of this hoat for preheating becoIneS lesS conSiderable, baffing ad n1iSSion of the teInpefature of a Inodefatof which iS neaT- ly and a total preSSufe in the tank cleafly higher than atmoSphefic pfeSSuTe, and thiS quite conSidefably c()nlplicateS the Sealing pToblenlS.

In the Second en1bodiInent accofding to the invention shown in FIGURE 3 the followin members alTead n1entioned in the deScfiption of the enbodonent in FIG- URE 1 win alSo be found: the tank in which are aT- Tanged the pfessuTe tubes 3 containing the fISSile n1atefial of the feactoT; a liquid nTodeTator Z contained in the tank 1; the condenSef 5 ensuTing the condenSation of the moderator boiled in the tank 1; and a portion 28 of the circIlit of the heatcaffying fluid cifclllating in the preS sufe tubes 3 and extracting the gfeatef paTt of the heat pfoduced by the henonlenon of SSion.

paft fron1 theSe IneInbeTS, the eInbodiInent in FIGURE 3 coInpriSes in pafticulaT a veSSel 30 containing the tubeS of the condenSer 5, Said veSSel being connected to the tank 1 containing the InodeTator liquid Z by Ineans of a nuInbef of channelS 4o, 4o only the fTSt tvvo of Which aTe ShoWn.

T11eSe channelS 4, 4Z) aTe tangentially connected to the uppef poTtion of the veSSel 30 in Such a 1vay that in the caSe of an eXploSion in the tank 1 thiS poftion con stituteS a cyclone Sepafatof 31 anowing the gaSeS to be feleaSed thTongh the upper opening 32 and Tetaining the liquid and the solid debris in the vesSel 30. These chan nelS 4o, 40 have very few angleS in ofdef to ensufe a good cifculation bI1t hovvevef have SUHicient cufveS to ensuTe a ceftain elasticity in the nlechanica1 iUnction between the tank 1 and the vessel 30; fof a total given Secfion the pluTaHty of channels 4o, 4o haS the fOl lovving advantages in con1paTison vvith a Single channeI= the nlechanical ioint betvveen the fank and the condenSef iS very exib1e; the connections to the tank effect the feSistance of the lattef to a Slighte1 degree; the cyclone separator functionS under the best conditionS; a veftical cylindrical Zone above the tank 1 nay be ffeed vvhich pafticularly aHowS the inStanation of an aSSembly of veftical contfol baTS paSsing thTough a Stoppef 40 affanged in the Teactof caSing 30.

10. A nuclea1 TeactoT aS claiIned in claim 1, including a puTifying circuit connected With said one channel fol pufying the vapor ciTcUlating betWeen the moderatoT tank and the condenser.

11. A nucleaT Teacto1 is claimed in claim 1, in which the condenser inclndes a efrigeTation cifcuit supplied with lightwater and whefein a Second tank Surfounds and iS Spaced fmn1 the moderatoT tank, Said TefTigeTation cifcuit outlet being connected to the space betvveen said Inoderatof tank and Said second tank fof the ow of said li ht-WateT tl1erethou h, Said li ht-water circulatin in the Second tank InoTeover cooHng Said InodeTatof tank and constituting a TeectoT fof the reactoT.

RefeenceS Ced by the Examet UNITED STATES PATENTS Z 8ZS,688 3/S8 vern0n 176S Z 8S7 3Z4 10/S8 De Boisblanc et aL 17661 Z,868 708 1/S9 VeTnon 176SZ 2 969,310 1/61 Goett 17637 2,997,43S 8/61 MillaT et al. 176-59 3,039,948 6/6Z Krco 17660 3 0SZ,61S 9/6Z IohnS et al 176-SS CARL D. UARFORTH, Prm z Exm. LEON D, ROSDOL, REUBEN EPSTEIN, Exme 

1. A LIQUID-MODERATOR NUCLEAR REACTOR, COMPRISING: A MODERATOR TANK HAVING PRESSURE TUBES THEREIN CONTAINING FISSIONABLE MATERIAL, SAID PRESSURE TUBES FORMING PART OF A HEAT-CARRYING FLUID CIRCUIT ADAPTED TO REMOVE THE GREATER PART OF THE HEAT PRODUCED BY NUCLEAR FISSION OF SAID MATERIAL; A MODERATOR LIQUID ADAPTED TO BE HEATED TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING LOINT THEREOF DURING OPERATION OF SAID NUCLEAR REACTOR DISPOSED IN SAID TANK IN SURROUNDING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID PRESSURE TUBES; AND A GRAVITY FLOW COOLING CIRCUIT INDEPENDENT OF SAID HEATCARRYING FLUID CIRCUIT PROVIDING THE SOLE PATH FOR THE CIRCULATION AND COOLING OF SAID MODERATOR LIQUID, SAID COOLING CIRCUIT INCLDING A CONDENSER MOUNTED AT AN ELEVATION ABOVE SAID MODERATOR TANK FOR COOLING AND CONDENSING VAPOR FORMED AS A RESULT OF HEATING SAID MODERATOR LIQUID TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING POINT THEREOF; AT LEAST ONE CHANNEL CONNECTING THE UPPER PART OF THE MODERATOR TANK TO SAID CONDENSER IN ORDER TO ADMIT INTO THE LATTER THE VAPOR PRODUCED BY THE BOILING OF THE MODERATOR LIQUID; A SECOND CHANNEL CONNECTING THE CONDENSER TO THE MODERATOR TANK TO PROVIDE A RETURN PASSED FOR THE GRAVITY FLOW 